Survey finds bigger is better when it comes to HDTV

A new Canadian survey confirms what Digital Home readers already know, that bigger is indeed better when it comes to high definition televisions (HDTV).

The Sharp Canada sponsored survey of just over 1,000 Canadians found that a larger screen size was the number one feature respondents wished their television had (24 per cent) and that a majority (54 per cent) wanted a television that was 50 inches or larger.

These survey findings show an increase from 2010 where screen size was ranked as the third-most important feature, which Sharp believes shows a greater interest in big screen TV viewing and the rising popularity of the home theatre experience. Canadian’s bigger is better mentality appears to fall in line with the overall market trend, as the 60” and above screen size category is the fastest growing segment in the consumer market (albeit from a small base).

Energy efficiency was also an important feature among Canadians with 41% ranking being eco-friendly in their top three most important features when purchasing a new screen. This feature is particularly important among those in BC with one quarter (25 per cent) ranking it as the most important feature.

One technology the survey identified as not being very important to consumers was 3DTV. 3-D technology was the lowest ranked television feature with more than four in ten (44 per cent) ranking it as their least important requirement in a TV today. Furthermore, when compared to the 2010 survey results, the feature was ranked lower.

The research also showed that while most televisions purchased today come with web-enabled features, this capability isn’t currently a must-have for Canadians. In fact, only one in five Canadians say they have internet capabilities on their TV and of that group, two out of three (66%) rarely or never use them. Additionally, only 14 per cent said they watch online content from their PC on their TV.

When asked what they watch on TV, Canadians said they used their TV to watch DVDs (48 per cent), basic cable (48 per cent), high definition cable (43 per cent), Personal Video Recorder (PVR) (26 per cent) Blu-Ray (18 per cent), content from a PC (14 per cent), Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) i.e. Apple TV, Netflix, etc. (8 per cent).

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